WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Dungeon Gallery's Terrifying Newbie ◈
Chapter 46: Dwarf (3)
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"I've uncovered Dreamland's secret."
Chase prided himself on living a fulfilling life as the mayoral aide of Fire Forge.
Earning the mayor's greatest favor was no easy feat.
Only someone whose ability, integrity, and personality all pleased the mayor could attain such a position.
"Memory loss is only a setup. Dreamland has been manipulating information."
Chase stood in the mayor's office.
He explained his deduction to the mayor.
"Please look over these pages. If the information the raid parties brought back was true, there would be contradictions. Someone who already knew the answer wouldn't solve the same problem again, would they? More importantly, these sections containing information about the dungeon... the handwriting is different. That's conclusive evidence."
Chase was certain.
The confidence that could only come from absolute certainty gave weight to his claim.
"Manipulating information...?"
Goldhand's brow twitched.
There was nothing strange about Chase's reasoning.
If Chase was right, it explained why the raid parties had failed to figure out the device called the Elevator until now.
But.
Information manipulation and concealed memories?
That would make a Dungeon Raid impossible.
Dreamland was a mystery.
To solve a mystery, they needed to gather information.
Yet the dungeon could manipulate the information the raid parties collected?
Information gathered at the risk of their lives?
"If every section written in different handwriting has been manipulated, then crucial Dungeon Raid information such as, 'You must use the Elevator,' 'The Elevator is meant for multiple people,' 'Do not enter unlit corridors,' and 'You must fight the Insect Human,' is completely useless..."
If every section written in different handwriting had been manipulated...
That was no different from saying all information related to the dungeon was false.
After all, every piece of information about the Elevator had been written in a different hand.
Should they stop the raids now?
Goldhand agonized over it.
Still.
Chase was different.
He must have held a negative opinion at first.
Instead, Chase persuaded Goldhand that there had to be a way to solve it.
"I believe the amount of information Dreamland can manipulate is limited. It has to be. If I were the Dungeon Master, I would erase every part of the journal instead of bothering to manipulate it."
There were two possibilities Chase could infer at the moment.
One was that every bit of information written in the journals was false.
The other was that some was true and some was false.
There was no answer in the first case.
Raiding Dreamland fundamentally required repeated attempts.
If they could not gather information at all, the right choice would be to withdraw cleanly at this point.
But what if it was the latter?
It would be difficult, but that did not mean there was no way to solve it.
Chase believed Dreamland was closer to the latter case.
His basis was that Dreamland was a newly formed dungeon.
Having no information at all would be far more advantageous for defense than having false information that still allowed intruders to roughly grasp the situation.
Even if Dreamland possessed the power to erase memories, the fact that information was being manipulated like this would eventually be exposed as intruders continued entering the dungeon.
Would it really leave behind clues like Elevators and unlit corridors?
If it could have erased all information, it surely would have.
That was the more rational choice for a new Dungeon Master.
And.
The shared parts of the journals explorers had brought back so far.
They gave Chase an odd sense of certainty.
1. The device is called an Elevator. You must use it to reach the next area.
2. The Elevator is meant for multiple people, so as many people as possible should ride it for smoother exploration.
3. You must never enter an unlit corridor.
4. An Insect Human occasionally rides it, and you must fight and defeat it.
As explained earlier, it was possible that all of this was false.
Dungeons grew stronger by using intruders as nourishment, after all.
It could have been a means of luring intruders in, but Chase was not sure.
They clearly needed to confirm it.
"From now on, I intend to explore Dreamland myself alongside the raid party."
"You intend to go yourself, Chase?"
Goldhand's brow twitched.
"You have work more important than raiding dungeons. You assist me and devote yourself to making Fire Forge an even greater city."
"I know. This position is more than I deserve, which is why I understand that I must take even greater responsibility for my duties."
Still.
That was precisely why Chase argued that he had to devote himself to raiding Dreamland.
After all.
Obtaining the Magic Stone was what would make Fire Forge a wealthier and greater city.
"..."
Goldhand considered it.
He did not look pleased, but he ultimately granted Chase permission.
Chase's boldness was exactly the trait Goldhand liked most about him.
"Come back successful."
"Yes. Thank you. If I die, I believe you should abandon the Dreamland raids."
"Don't die."
"I'll do my best."
The mayor's permission had been granted.
From this point onward, the Dreamland raids were Chase's responsibility.
'The scope of its information manipulation is definitely limited. It can't change everything. At the very least, not the essence of things themselves.'
Chase's eyes gleamed with interest.
Dreamland was an entirely different kind of dungeon from any that had appeared before.
Chase wanted to see how it ended.
His motivation was impulsive, but he had more than enough reason.
Whatever the reason, all he had to do was bring back the Magic Stone.
'Could it identify codes as well? If it can manipulate writing, what about drawings? If ink doesn't work, then graphite? Blood? It might be worth trying to engrave information onto a body, too.'
With that, Chase began actively recruiting the fourth raid party.
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【Fourth Raid Results】
【Author: Chase】
Number of entrants: 12
Exploration results: 11 dead, Chase survived, 1 Escape Scroll consumed.
▼ I
My condition is no different from the other survivors.
Truly.
I cannot remember a single thing that happened inside the dungeon.
It was a strange feeling.
Before entering the dungeon, I prepared several things.
Every tool I could use to write and draw.
I also studied the codes used by the Fire Forge Intelligence Division.
Still.
Unfortunately, I gained nothing.
The ordinary details remained intact.
I ate meals. I drank water. I spoke with my companions.
That sort of unimportant information remained whole.
But judging by the handwriting, it appears all important information was manipulated.
The entries I wrote in my journal.
The entries I wrote in code.
Could it even interfere with the scar carved into the dried-up arm of what appeared to be a raid party member?
The drawings had been twisted into grotesque shapes.
In the end.
1. The device is called an Elevator. You must use it to reach the next area.
2. The Elevator is meant for multiple people, so as many people as possible should ride it for smoother exploration.
3. You must never enter an unlit corridor.
4. An Insect Human occasionally rides it, and you must fight and defeat it.
That was all the information I brought back.
More specifically, it feels as if all information related to the dungeon's Minions or traps is being censored.
It appears we need to change the direction of our investigation.
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Chase looked into a mirror.
A large straight scar ran across his forehead.
What on earth had happened inside?
"At least it's certain that a device called an Elevator really exists."
Before entering the dungeon, Chase had made a promise to himself.
If all the information the previous leaders had brought back at the risk of their lives was false, he would abandon all his belongings and journals, then simply use an Escape Scroll.
If, as he suspected, true and false information seemed to be mixed together, he would continue the exploration before returning.
The wounds carved into his body, the consumed food and water.
The many journals filling about half of his exploration pack.
They were clear proof that Chase's deduction had been correct.
The dungeon spoke both truth and lies.
That was an undeniable fact.
Based on the time that had elapsed outside, they could also confirm that Chase had spent roughly a week in the dungeon.
"Then how can I bring information back?"
Writing and drawings were ultimately meaningless.
The same went for coded writing.
No matter how many journals he wrote or drawings he made, information related to the dungeon was censored.
In the end, the only meaningful information was the four Elevator traits investigated by the other leaders and Chase...
"Which information is true, and which is false?"
Even if he discovered it during the next exploration, the information would be manipulated when he escaped, making it meaningless.
At first, he had simply thought it might be doable, that there had to be a way to solve it.
Had he taken it too lightly because it was a newly formed dungeon?
Every method he had considered was blocked, leaving him completely lost.
He rubbed the scar on his forehead.
He was not a Blessed One.
He only had one life, so honestly, giving up would be the smarter choice.
But.
He still wanted to see the end.
He wanted to see everything that existed in that grotesque dungeon with his own eyes.
Chase thought.
Was there no good method?
"Ah! Maybe this could work..."
Chase suddenly looked at his pack.
It was the pack he had used during the raid.
It was stuffed with useful dungeon supplies, such as rotten apples, a dagger, beard-trimming scissors, and rope.
He was not certain he could reach the end.
But at this moment, he had seen the possibility that he could at least advance as far as the Elevator.
Chase took six Dwarf prisoners who could move immediately and entered Dreamland to explore it.
In a great hurry.
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【Fifth Raid Results】
【Author: Chase】
Number of entrants: 7
Exploration results: 6 dead, Chase survived, 1 Escape Scroll consumed.
▼ Truth or Falsehood
1. The device is called an Elevator. You must use it to reach the next area. (True)
2. The Elevator is meant for multiple people, so as many people as possible should ride it for smoother exploration. (False)
3. You must never enter an unlit corridor. (True)
4. An Insect Human occasionally rides it, and you must fight and defeat it. (False)
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After finishing the exploration, Chase rummaged through his pack.
The rotten apple and beard-trimming scissors were gone.
"It seems it can deal with writing and drawings somehow... but it cannot block this method after all."
Once again, Chase entered the dungeon after making a promise to himself.
The promise was as follows.
There were four pieces of information they had investigated about the Elevator so far.
He assigned an object to represent each piece of information and packed them one by one.
For example, a rotten apple represented, "You must never enter an unlit corridor."
The beard-trimming scissors represented, "The device is called an Elevator."
If the information was true, he would discard the corresponding object.
If it was false, he would bring the object back.
The rotten apple and beard-trimming scissors had disappeared.
That meant the information about the device's name and the unlit corridors was true.
He had decided to discard all his belongings and use an Escape Scroll if anything unexpected happened.
There was no need to worry that this information was false.
"Now then..."
What should he do from here?
Chase once again sank into thought.
* * *
antqueen: newbie, just how many people have died now???
└ newbie: 44 so far...
└ antqueen: This is seriously ridiculous LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL fuck
└ antqueen: Don't tell me you're still stuck at the Elevator???
└ newbie: No no no no, not that
└ newbie: Before they go to the next area, the people who seem to be leaders use Escape Scrolls and run away
└ newbie: So I'm just throwing the remaining intruders into Area 1 to feed the maze and Malrang
For the Dwarves, Anomaly was slaughter.
Twelve died in the first Wave.
Four died in the second Wave.
Eleven died in the third Wave.
Eleven died in the fourth Wave.
Six died in the fifth Wave.
I had never dealt with so many intruders in such a short time.
It was my first time since becoming a Dungeon Master, so I felt a little uneasy.
cowhead: Fuck, I came in to watch the live feed but everyone's dying in the Elevator, so it's pissing me off...
└ newbie: It's good for me, though...
└ cowhead: That's true...
└ newbie: But I think they noticed the information is being manipulated
└ cowhead: Oh... Is something big finally coming??
└ antqueen: But with this many people dying in the dungeon, is there really anyone who'd still want to come? Hehe
└ antqueen: Even if he's a Dwarf mayor, it won't be easy for him to gather people now
A total of forty-four Dwarves had died.
Like antqueen said, I wondered if there would be anyone who still wanted to come.
But the gaze of the Dwarf who had just used an Escape Scroll and fled...
It resembled the gaze of the lord I met back then, so, yeah. It was a little scary.
One person obsessing over me was more than enough.
Next time you enter, you're headed straight for Goblin Cave.
Footnotes:
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